Who will Mayo send pedalling to Dáil Éireann?

So, the Office of Public Works (OPW) has been pilloried for spending €366,000 on an eighteen unit bicycle stand in Leinster House. Now a lot of people would not care if someone set a match to Leinster House and reduced it to rubble. But, more serious people see Leinster House as the seat of Irish Government and a building of some historical and architectural importance and, clearly, would like to see any structure (even a bicycle shed!) constructed in the vicinity, never mind the grounds of the building, as blending in with the general tone of Leinster House.

The OPW has served the country well and has set the standard for the renovation and restoration of important public buildings. If they are asked to provide a bicycle shelter in the grounds of Leinster House, you may rest assured that they will design and construct a building that fits in with, or perhaps even enhances, the building. If that costs a bit more than your average galvanised lean-to then that’s the price that has to be paid.

The story, of course, was a silly season story and garnered more headlines than would normally be the case. But, the ire of the politicians and public was mis-directed. The OPW was just doing a job they were instructed to do and did it competently, albeit at a cost that some “experts” judged excessive. No, if there is to be criticism it should be directed at those who demanded the bicycle rack in the first place.

I wonder if there are 18 politicians who cycle to work in Leinster House. If there are then fine, the bicycle stand is justified and maybe those politicians who use the stand could pay a nominal charge of (let’s say) €25 a week. In no time at all the cost of the bicycle stand would be recouped. In reality, there is fat chance that our entitled pedal powered politicians would pay a fee. Even to think of such a charge would be seen as an attack on democracy, an impediment to people standing for election. Bulldung.

The Sinn Féin people must have been bulling that they had to fight for the headlines with the measly €360,000 bicycle shed. They plan to spend €39 billion over the next five years to solve the country’s housing crisis. Good luck to them in that ambition. The Plan, comprehensive and detailed as one would expect from the Party’s most serious politician, Eoin O’Broin, has been dismissed by the Taoiseach and the FF housing Minister as a load of poppy cock.

That’s rich coming from FG and FF who have churned out more poppy cock in the past 10 years explaining away their failure to come to grips with homelessness and the crisis in house building. There is no easy solution to the failure of the state to meet the demand for housing. In a thriving economy the construction industry is flat out and still unable to increase housing output because of a scarcity of tradespeople. That’s a problem that won’t go away irrespective of whether it is FF/FG or Sinn Féin’s housing policy that is to be implemented.

There is election fever in the air but one man who appears to be immune to the epidemic is the imperturbable Jack Chambers who has taken to his role as the child Minister for Finance as if he had 50 years of experience of economics and number-crunching behind him.

He exudes calm even in the face of criticism and to think that he might give a hint of an early general election in his upcoming budget by including a wealth of handouts to social welfare beneficiaries, including pensioners, and to long-suffering taxpayers is simply something that the man is incapable of. He is inscrutable. No wonder the opposition are nervous and frazzled.

And no wonder that there is speculation on an early general election here in Mayo. I have no doubt that the Taoiseach and the FF Leader are genuine when they say that the Government will run its full term but there’s many’s the slip between cup and lip and there’s always the possibility of an own goal or an opportunity too great to ignore… although, past experience has shown, such opportunities are best ignored.

Michael Ring’s decision to retire from politics has removed a veritable colossus from the scene and there will be those who feel his absence creates an opportunity. Chief among those is Claremorris Independent Councillor Patsy O’Brien. Formerly a Fine Gael councillor Patsy has been waiting in the wings, for quite some time, for Deputy Ring to depart. He is one of four poll-topping Independents in the recent local elections who will be tempted to test the waters in the absence of Ring.

All four, O’Brien with 2,738 first preferences, Michael Kilcoyne (Castlebar) with 2,403, Mark Duffy (Ballina) with 2,328 and Chris Maxwell (Westport) with 1,793 will see their county council performances as providing a solid basis for contesting the general election. Of the four, O’Brien and Duffy are most likely to take the plunge. The fact that there is now a fifth seat in Mayo, which is generally regarded as offering the best prospect for a successful Independent, is a serious temptation. But, nothing is that simple.

First time local election candidate Keira Keogh (FG) scored a creditable 1,184 first preferences in the local elections and will be in the contest for what Westport people regard as Ring’s seat. It is a bit presumptuous of the Westport people to claim the seat as their own but with Deputy Ring endorsing Ms Keogh and presumably using his enormous vote-getting powers to her advantage, she will be a force to be reckoned with. But, then again, nothing is that simple.

If she is to be elected Ms Keogh will have to match, or go very close, to her Castlebar colleague Alan Dillon and will have to surpass her Ballina-based running mate Michelle Mulherin, former TD and Senator. A big ask. And none of this takes into account that Fianna Fáil will be expecting to get two seats (they will settle for one) with Dara Calleary the favourite over his running mate Lisa Chambers, or that Sinn Féin will be battling for two seats and may not settle for one. Rose Conway Walsh (outgoing) and Gerry Murray make a formidable partnership and while nationally Sinn Féin’s light has dimmed, the prospect of two Sinn Féin seats in Mayo is very real.

So when can we expect to be put out of our misery? When will Simon Harris name the date. When will the inscrutable Jack Chambers allow a smile to cross his lips? Will his first (perhaps only) budget be the catalyst for an outbreak of enthusiasm for an early election? Will the proper packages be put in the proper places to lure the electorate into that feel-good place where confidence is high that the voters will show their appreciation and return the good old Greens alongside their arch nemeses in FG/FF for another term?

Or will Sinn Féin live up to their earlier promise and make liars of the opinion polls. That would be a wonderful prospect to look forward to. Mary Lou cosying up to Ivana Bacik and Holly Cairns and Mattie McGrath and Michael Healy Rae seeking a union (of convenience!) to secure the numbers needed to oust the present incumbents. And perhaps even cosying up to Richard Boyd Barrett and Paul Murphy (PBP) who have already indicated that they are immune to cosying up and they are waiting for the day when the Trotsky revolution takes over Irish politics. And that, of course, could happen anytime soon!

Thought for the Day 

Ariane Grande: There’s always tomorrow and it always gets better.